Robbie Glen Davis (born July 18, 1961 in Pocatello, Idaho) is a retired American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

jockey.

Early life

Davis grew up in a single parent household forced onto

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

, something that would impact him for the rest of his life. At age 14 Robbie got his first job at Buddy's Pizza in Pocatello, Idaho, working as a dish washer and busboy. Robbie Davis began his involvement with horse racing as a stable boy, cleaning horse stalls at a racetrack in his native

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

and by age 17 was riding in quarter horse races at county fairs. In 1997, he was honored by Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Long Island for his support of that organization.

Career

In 1981 he switched to

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

and in 1982 moved to compete at New York area tracks. He earned his first

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

victory in the 1985 Meadowlands Cup on board

Bounding Basque Bounding may refer to: * Establishing limits on the behavior of a process or device, see Listing and approval use and compliance * Bounding overwatch, a variety of military maneuver * A cyclical type of jumping motion See also

* Bound (dis ...

. During his career, Davis won a number of premier races including the 1986 Washington, D.C. International Stakes, the 1994 Pimlico Special and

Canadian International Stakes The Canadian International Stakes is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years of age and up on Turf. It is held annually in October at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The current purse is Since its creatio ...

, as well as the 1998

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memorial ...

. His best result in two Kentucky Derby starts was a fifth with Mecke in 1995 with whom he also finished fifth in the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () o ...

. Of his five mounts in the Belmont Stakes, Davis's best finish came aboard

Kingpost A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above f ...

in the 1988 running won by Risen Star. On October 13, 1988, Robbie Davis was involved in a racing accident at Belmont Park in

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

that claimed the life of friend and fellow jockey, Mike Venezia. Venezia's horse, Mr. Walter K., broke his right front leg on the

backstretch Backstretch refers to either: (1) the portion of an oval racetrack on the far side of the grandstand, parallel to the homestretch, or, (2) particularly in North America, the area near the racetrack where horses are stabled and the daily work of main ...

; as the horse fell, Venezia jumped and rolled under the hooves of Davis' mount Drums in the Night. Venezia died instantly. The trauma resulted in Davis leaving racing for several years. After returning briefly on a few occasions, he came back full-time in 1992. Five years later, he was voted the Mike Venezia Memorial Award which honor a jockey who exemplifies extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.

Retirement

Retired in 2002, Davis served as a Director at large for the Jockeys' Guild. In 2006, he was nominated for induction in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. A

classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

collector, he and his wife own an farm in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, not far from the

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actu ...

. Parents of six children, their daughter Jacqueline was one of eleven students in the inaugural class at the North American Racing Academy in Versailles, Kentucky, founded as a jockey training program through the auspices of the Kentucky Community Technical College System. Jackie Davis won her first career race on November 5, 2008, aboard 64-1 shot Blue Hill Bay at Aqueduct; she has won six races as of March 2009. Her father serves as her agent.A Jockey Follows in Father's Tracks But Also Blazes Her Own
NY Times, March 27, 2009 His son, Dylan, and daughter, Katie, have followed in their father and sister's footsteps.

Return To The Saddle

On October 1, 2011, Davis returned to the saddle, riding Sandyinthesun, a horse he also trains, to a sixth-place finish in the 11th race at Belmont Park.

Year-end charts

Sources

References

The Westbury Times December 18, 1997 article ''Robbie Davis Honored by Big Brothers, Sisters''

Robbie Davis at the NTRA

1995 Vosburgh Stakes Video at YouTube of Robbie Davis winning the 1995 Vosburgh Stakes aboard Not Surprising
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Robbie 1961 births Living people American jockeys Sportspeople from Pocatello, Idaho